CH 16

[She hasn’t been here today…]

When I entered the library, I didn’t see Saito, who would normally come and sit down before I arrived, and the library was empty.

Since she hasn’t arrived yet, I decided to wait and read the book I had with me.

[Thank you for waiting. Here’s the book for today]

After a while, I heard a voice calling me and looked up.

[Oh, thank you…?]

I feel uncomfortable with her current appearance.

It’s hard to say what, but the atmosphere around her is clearly different.

It seemed to be less spiky than usual.

[….. What is it?]

Her voice was cold as usual, but somehow weaker in intensity.

It only took a moment for me to realize what was off about her.

[What’s wrong with you today?]

[….. Nothing is wrong]

I could tell she was trying to respond as usual, but it was obvious she was bluffing.

I wasn’t sure if I should ask her in more detail, but I reckoned that she might not want me to know too much since she’s keeping her distance from me by speaking harshly.

If you don’t want to tell me, I don’t blame you, I thought, and attempted to give up on asking her.

But, I was still curious about her condition, so I took another look and guessed why she was different.

[Hey, are you not feeling well?]

[What? Why…]

Saito’s face showed that she was surprised when she heard my words. Bullseye, huh.

Her eyes were moist, herace was paler than usual, and she had a feverish, weak voice. It was easy to guess with that lineup.

[I can tell by the way you look. If you’re not feeling well, you should rest]

[But I promised to give you the book…]

I guess she came to fulfill her promise. Her earnestness is a virtue, but I wish she would think about herself a little more.

While I worried about her condition, she turned her head down, looking a little depressed.

Even though the reason why her eyes are moist is the heat, I feel guilty when people look at me with such eyes.

Normally, she would say some harsh words, but there was none this time, probably because she was weak.

She was different than usual, and I hurriedly reassured her.

[Oh, no, thank you as always. But, you should worry about your health more]

[… I understand. Then I’ll leave for today]

[You okay? Need a hand?]

[I’m fine. I don’t need it]

I called out to her as she was wobbly and unsteady on her feet, but she still refused.

She said so, but I was worried, so I watched her until she left the library. That was when she let out a yelp and fell.

[You’re not fine at all. Come on, I’ll lend you a shoulder to the infirmary]

[… I’m sorry]

[Don’t worry about it. I don’t like leaving sick people alone. Also, next time you should ask for help, and be honest. I’m not going to make any weird demands or do something to ingratiate myself with you]

She’s still not good at relying on people. It’d be nice if she could rely on people at least a little.

I’m inconveniencing her by borrowing her books. I want to do at least this much.

I pulled her hand in order to make her stand up and positioned myself so that her shoulders are even to mine even with her height.

But she stood there and wouldn’t let me take her by the shoulders.

[What’s wrong]

[Wouldn’t it be conspicuous if you walk with me?]

Apparently, she noticed that I’ve been avoiding the public eye so no one would see me with her.

She’s perceptive, so I guess it’s not surprising.

[It’s just around the corner, and it would hurt my conscience to leave you alone. Come on, let’s go]

Actually, it’s not close. And if we were to be seen, there would definitely be rumors.

I’d like to avoid that if possible, but I’m not so rotten as to abandon someone who’s been treating me well.

I would blend in well enough to go unnoticed, I thought to myself.

I didn’t want to push her any further, so I hurried along, and she obediently put her hands on my shoulders and leaned.

As she looked, her body was thin and unreliable.

Because she was sluggish, the arm around my neck would sometimes squeeze tightly.

I wondered why girls are so soft. If they were this thin, you would think that they would look bony and fragile, but that’s not the case.

I could smell a slight sweetness in the air. When you’re in such close contact with someone and you can smell their girlish scent, even if you’re not interested in the opposite sex, you’ll be attracted to them.

Trying not to show my agitation, I carried her to the infirmary.

Fortunately, we didn’t cross paths with anyone, and I sighed out of relief that my concern was resolved.

I told the health teacher about the situation and had her lie down on the bed.

[Well, here we are. Take care of yourself]

She seemed to have a fever, but at the time of year, it was unlikely to be flu.

Is it just fatigue? If it’s a cold, she’ll be fine in 3 days, and I hope she’ll rest well at the time.

[Thank….]

[What is it?]

I finished my business and was about to leave when someone tugged the hem of my shirt and called out.

My eyes met hers as she pulled the top of the nose under the blanket, covering her mouth.

When I looked at her, I saw her feverish eyes were slightly shimmering, and her gaze wandered around as if she was troubled.

I sensed she would say something, so I waited patiently and she looked straight at me as if she made up her mind.

[….. Thank you for today. You’ve been really helpful]

[All right, well, get some rest]

I knew she was going to take her recovery seriously, so I just let it slide and left the infirmary.

It was bad for my heart to be stared at by a beautiful girl with her cheeks flushed, although it’s probably from the heat.